Ever have an idea that is so simple, it is absolutely brilliant? That's how I felt when I came up with the idea for a Hasselback BLT: It is brilliant in its simplicity! Skip the bread and just add the bacon and lettuce directly to the tomato. This is a low-carb, naturally gluten-free alternative to BLT sandwiches.
First, I cooked the bacon in a rectangle pan, so I could lay the bacon strips flat and straight as they cooked.
While the bacon was cooking I used a serrated bread knife to create the cuts in Roma tomatoes. I cut 3/4 of the way through the tomato and made the cuts 1/4 – 1/2 inch a part. I used Roma tomatoes because they are not as juicy or seedy as other tomatoes.
I broke the bacon into 1 – 2 inch pieces and placed the bacon in the cuts in the tomatoes. Then I places baby salad leaves and spinach leaves in the cuts in the tomatoes. I used baby spinach leaves, baby arugula leaves, and tore bits of loose leaf lettuce to use in my Hassleback BLTs.
Finally, I mixed a 1/4 cup of Just Mayo, 1/4 cup of Saucy Mama Dijon Mustard, and 1 tablespoon of honey to make a dipping sauce for my BLTs.
- 4 Roma Tomatoes
- 8 pieces of cooked baco
- 1 cup of baby salad greens
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- If necessary, cook the bacon, making an effort to keep the bacon pieces straight while you cook them.
- Use a serrated knife to place cuts ¾ of the way through a Roma tomato. The cuts should be approximately ¼ - to ½ inch apart.
- Break the cooked bacon into 1 - 2 inch long pieces.
- Place the pieces of bacon in each cut.
- Find small lettuce or spinach leaves. You can tear larger leaves in necessary and place 1 - 2 pieces of lettuce in each cut.
- Repeat for the other tomatoes.
- Add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and honey to a small bowl.
- Stir until thoroughly combined.
When I was taking pictures of the final product, my youngest son ran out and placed some letters on the cutting board when I wasn't looking. When I turned around, I saw that he added #BLT to the cutting board. Yes, this creation is worthy of a hashtag!
Gluten Free A-Z says
May 9, 2015 at 3:41 pmAlea,
I think your idea is brilliant. I could make a vegetarian version with tomato, basil, and mozzarella cheese. Thanks for the great idea.
Alea Milham says
May 9, 2015 at 5:25 pmI love that idea! It would be a Hasselback Caprese Salad! 🙂
Katie says
May 10, 2015 at 2:14 amThis look absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe. i’ll have to try this myself sometime soon!
The point of the Paleo diet is, and I feel some people forget this, to not only diet, but to eat delicious foods at the same time. It’s the only diet I’ve come across that cuts out food groups, yet still focusses on everyone’s need to eat great food.
I’m a real foodie, and would not survive on any other diet, but Paleo has been very good for me. I’ve written about one of my favourite cookbooks: http://cookbook-reviews.net/review-the-paleo-recipe-book/
theartinpartyplanning says
May 21, 2015 at 7:29 amSuch a great idea! I love BLT’s, but we are trying to cut back on our bread intake.
Janice Wald says
May 24, 2015 at 11:43 pmWhat an interesting presentation in the picture. Thank you for coming to the linky party.
Janice, one of your hostesses.
Angela McKinney says
May 25, 2015 at 12:13 pmWonderful idea. It looks so yummy thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty